Tucked away in some of Toronto’s biggest burbs are pockets that combine urban cool and small-town charm. And the houses are (way) cheaper and (way) bigger than anything you’ll find in the city. Here, a handful of happy decampers on where they landed and what they love most about their new homes.

Shepherd and Wills at the new Brooklin library with their kids, Kate, Avery and Sam

Sarah: “We’ve lived in Brooklin for 10 years. We recently upgraded from a three-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot townhouse to a new, four-bedroom, 2,400-square-foot detached house in the same area—we didn’t want to leave the neighbourhood. We bought the new place from a builder for $409,000. It has a big front porch, which gets a lot of use. Brooklin is a front-porch community. We sit out on weekends and watch the kids play and ride bikes on our court, or have a glass of wine in the evening.

“We love that Brooklin has a country feel, but it isn’t rural. It has an old town with a nice mix of shops and restaurants, and a small park right in the middle with an outdoor stage where bands perform on Thursday nights in the summer.

“We’ve convinced a lot of our friends to move here from Pickering and Ajax. They’ve fallen for Brooklin’s charm. The place is filling up with young families—so much so that they’ve had to put up portables at the elementary school to accommodate all the students. A new state-of-the-art school is scheduled to open in September.”

Places they love

Orchid Salon and Medi-Spa24 Princess St.
Situated in a century home right in the old town, it’s Sarah’s favourite place to relax and get pampered.

Campkin’s of Wellingborough 22 Baldwin St.
A quaint English-style tea house. The tea is served in delicate china with an array of delicious baked goods.

Corrado’s38 Baldwin St.
An Italian restaurant with a large patio for al fresco dining in the summer and a fireplace inside for the colder months.

Krystyna: “We used to live in the Annex, and moved to a rented house at Bayview and Eglinton when we had our first child in 2006. In 2008, we decided to move to Unionville. We’d both grown up here, and even went to the same high school. We liked that we could be close to farms and hiking areas, but also not far from Toronto.

“Our timing was excellent—we bought our house in the fall of 2008, not long after the market crash. We paid $715,000 for a bright, four-bedroom, 2,800-square-foot home—about $100,000 below asking. It’s in the Bridle Trail neighbourhood, the more mature part of town, with lots of old trees, and just a quick walk from Main Street. The huge backyard and pool were big draws; we were adamant that if we were going to move to the burbs, we were going to have a pool.

“Unionville is a picture-perfect place to raise a family. The original buildings along Main Street date back to the early 1800s, and in the summer the street is patio heaven. In winter, the whole town is lit up with Christmas lights. It’s our little Utopia.”

Chad: “We lived in the city for a number of years, first at Yonge and Davisville and then in a condo near Dundas and Church. Our initial move out of the city, in 2004, was a shock. We bought a bungalow in east Oakville, and while we liked the mature trees in the area, we had to drive all the time and missed being able to walk places.

“In 2008, we started looking for another house and went to see a property in Port Credit. It was a warm summer evening, the restaurants were packed and we saw lots of couples out on the street. We fell in love with the place. That summer, we found our current home—a renovated 1,600-square-foot bungalow with a second storey added onto half of the house. It was in a perfect location—on a tree-lined street, just south of the main commercial zone along Lakeshore.

“We’re thrilled we ended up in Port Credit. It used to be a more industrial area, but in the past few decades, many factories have been converted into condos, townhouses and shops. Now we’re within walking distance of everything.”

“I started working as a chiropractor at a clinic in Yorkville, but when I opened my own practice, I wanted to do it here. I grew up in Mississauga and once worked as a lifeguard at a pool in Streetsville, so I knew the area and loved it.

“In 2002, I found a Georgian-style heritage home on the main strip and bought it for just under $400,000. The house was built in 1853 and used to belong to Mississauga’s mayor. It’s 2,400 square feet with a 1,000-square-foot deck at the back overlooking Streetsville Memorial Park, which extends to the Credit River and has a baseball diamond, soccer field and outdoor pool. On Canada Day there are fireworks in the park, and I always have friends over to watch the show from my deck.

“When people come to visit, they’re surprised that this is Mississauga—it’s far from your stereotypical cookie-cutter houses and suburban sprawl. Plus it’s really close to downtown. I can usually beat my friends who live at Yonge and Eglinton to a patio on King West.”

Places he loves

Crafted Décor232 Queen St. S.
The perfect place to pick up home decor gifts. Every December, the owners transform it into a
Christmas store.

Graydon Bar & Grill235 Queen St. S.
An upscale gastropub in a historic building, it features live music three nights a week. Also a great place to grab lunch.

Via Ciclante222 Queen St. S.
A cyclist’s dream, this 34-year-old, family-run shop has a great selection of bikes, apparel and accessories.

Makai Salon219 Queen St. S.
A modern hair salon staffed by young and hip stylists, and one of a handful offering Bumble and Bumble products in Mississauga.

The Franklin House263 Queen St. S.
This hotel-turned-pub serves hearty, traditional English fare like bangers and mash and steak and mushroom pie.

Lisa: “When we started looking for a house, we were hoping to spend around $400,000. You can’t get much for that these days, but in Newmarket we found we could get great value for our money. When we saw this property it was love at first sight. It was listed at $560,000; we got it for $530,000 in March 2012.

“It’s a three-bedroom, 40-year-old bungalow that had been newly renovated—including the kitchen and two of the three bathrooms. The property is huge—80 by 180 feet on a corner lot—and has about 50 trees that are close to 100 feet tall. We also have a long driveway with lots of parking. There’s a big gazebo and firepit in our backyard, so last summer we invited everyone on our street for a barbecue. They’re all original owners; we’re the only newbies.

“Moving here was a lifestyle change, but we were ready for it. Newmarket is a peaceful place with lots of natural space, yet you don’t feel like you’re cut off from civilization. When we need a hit of downtown, we’ll go, but the city could never offer us what we have here—at least not at this price.”

Places they love

Fairy Lake Park
A green space right in the middle of Newmarket that features great trails, concerts in the park, food festivals—even historic battle re-enactments.

Studio Five184 Main St. S.
A modern hair salon with a retro flair. Decor includes vintage suitcases as magazine holders and old barber shop chairs.

Nature’s Emporium16655 Yonge St.
Newmarket’s answer to Whole Foods, only bigger: 50,000 square feet of every kind of organic food you could ever want.

Made in Mexico196 Main St.
A lively Mexican restaurant where servers are prone to singing and throwing sombreros. It’s moving across the street in April.

Orleans Restaurant & Lounge17380 Yonge St.
A friendly place to chill out with friends, eat Cajun/Creole food and listen to live blues.

Patricia: “Before moving here, we lived at Mount Pleasant and Eglinton. A lot of our friends thought we were crazy for moving so far away, but we love it. Thornhill Woods is a new development between Dufferin and Bathurst, north of the 407. We bought a brand new, 2,600-square-foot, four-bedroom house in 2003 for $352,000. We couldn’t afford anything that big in Toronto.

“Last year, the place started to feel a little small—especially the backyard—so we began looking around for something else in the neighbourhood. We got entangled in a bidding war for a house nearby, but we lost and vowed never to go that route again. When a newly built house on our street came on the market, we put in a bully offer of over a million dollars and got it. It’s a bright, modern 3,400-square-foot house with an open-concept kitchen (with granite counters), lots of storage space and a much bigger backyard.

“This is a great place to raise kids. There are tons of programs for the little ones, great schools and loads of parks. When we first moved here, it was basically just a big field, so we’ve seen the neighbourhood evolve into a bustling area. It’s new, but it doesn’t have that suburban-sprawl feel.”

Places they love

Bagel Nash8707 Dufferin St.
The Kaplans’ favourite place for Montreal-style bagels—served with a selection of toppings—as well as other baked goods.

Aroma Espresso Bar9320 Bathurst St.
The Thornhill outpost of an Israeli coffee chain, it has great espresso and a good variety of salads, sandwiches and pastries.